Contents

Backstory

Hime grew up in Osaka and started playing field hockey in primary school, continuing through junior high. When she was 14, her family moved to Tokyo due to her father's job and Hime found herself alienated from the classmates at her new school. This led her to feel uncomfortable and purposefully isolate herself. When she joined the school's field hockey team, she met with opposition from its regular players but also encountered Arisa, who became her first friend at the new school. Thanks to Arisa's presence and effect on her, Hime opened up to her classmates and found them opening up to her as well. One day, she saw Arisa leaving with a group of delinquents and began to fear that her friend was being threatened. These suspicions were further confirmed when she saw Arisa handing an envelope of money to the delinquents' leader, Kyōko.

When confronted, Arisa first claimed that nothing was happening but Hime persisted - declaring that Arisa's kindness and femininity could be perceived as weak, and thus that she would protect her. Arisa broke into tears, saying that Kyōko had told her to come that evening with a large sum of money. That night, Hime went with Arisa and withstood Kyōko's beating to ensure her friend's safety. However, when the envelope Arisa had given fell from Kyōko's pocket during the fight, Hime noticed that it had been labeled with Kyōko's first name, implying a sense of familiarity. She realized that Arisa wasn't being bullied or threatened at all, and Kyōko declared that Arisa had been paying her group to act as bodyguards. Hime couldn't understand the turn of events, and her friend explained. Arisa had been bullied in the younger grades and didn't want to stand out, so the safest place to be was right behind the strongest person in school. Being a victim was only an act so people wouldn't realize the truth. Arisa then snapped at Hime for having called her weak and Hime's emotions boiled over. Using her field hockey stick, she severely beat the group of delinquents, like a demon. The story of the fight spread quickly and once again Hime found herself isolated - but this time, feared as well. Other groups started targeting her to fight, but she beat each one. Eventually, she became known as a legend: the demon princess "Onihime."

In her final year of junior high, Hime decided to apply to a high school far enough away that no one would know of the name "Onihime." After enrolling in Kaimei High School, she kept to herself and firmly held the belief that she didn't need friends. The rumors of the "Onihime" had reached even there, and she decided not to stand out and to complete her school years without fuss. Yet after an amazing throw during a fitness test, she was approached by her class representative, Chiaki, to join the softball team. Despite Hime's efforts to remain isolated, Chiaki persisted in trying to draw her out of her shell. Soon, she found herself with a second attachment, a classmate named Yūsuke, who noticed when she accidentally brought her old Poppman cap to school one day. The more Chiaki and Yūsuke persisted in being her friend, the more Hime grew used to their presence.

When Chiaki was threatened by two men who claimed she had dented their car with a baseball, Hime ultimately came to her rescue. However, her weapon broke and it was only Yūsuke's timely arrival which prevented the two girls from meeting a horrible fate. Once freed, Hime easily defeated the men who then recognized her as the "Onihime." Certain her new friends would abandon her upon finding out, Hime prepared herself to be alone again, but Chiaki and Yūsuke refused to leave her alone. The latter then asked her to form a campus support group with him, declaring that he needed her strength. Having finally found a place where she was accepted, Hime was able to cry for the first time in years.

Appearance

Himeko has blue eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair that flips up at the ends. She can almost always be seen with a Pelollipop Candy sticking out of her mouth (when she was known as the "Onihime," the lollipop stick was mistaken to be a cigarette). Himeko wears the basics of the Kaimei school uniform (a white shirt with a white sailor collar, a red collar ribbon and a blue skirt) with the addition of a black choker and high heels. Later on, she replaces them with pink sneakers. [1] On one wrist she wears a thick black studded bracelet and on the other is her Sket Dan wristband.

Prior to the events which led to her becoming known as "Onihime," her hair was black and fashioned in a similar hairstyle to Bossun's. As the "Onihime," she had longer blonde hair parted away from her forehead and tied back in a ponytail.

Personality

Despite being naturally aggressive and a little cranky, Himeko tries to maintain as positive as Bossun, even if sometimes she doesn't succeed. Anyway, she has a good sense of humor before losing her patience. Hime tends to be violent when something goes wrong and, indeed, in many cases the violence is her first choice to fix the problems. She is a good cook as Bossun and Switch finds out during the Gachinko Vivage Battle arc [2].

Anyway, Himeko has a good heart and, like her companions of Sket-dan, and she is determined to do whatever it takes to help other people. It also appears that takes more seriously the everyday affairs or at least more than Bossun and Switch. She is impulsive, always acting before thinking, which is shown in Enigman's quiz game. [3]

Hime is loyal and admires Bossun, although she often hits or rebukes him. This is because she feels that she owes him much. Himeko feels a special affection for the little and "cute" things, and sometimes her maternal instinct comes out easily. By being originally from Osaka, Hime uses some different words or phrases to other characters, although this is only noticeable in a few jokes or situations.

Major Story Arcs

The Fake Onihime

A trio of delinquent girls named Inui, Kijima, and Sarukawa attack Himeko, but are easily defeated. Looking for a way to get revenge, they follow Himeko, Switch and Bossun, and they eavesdrop on the Sket Dan's conversation about Himeko's field hockey stick being her trusty partner in battle. The girls decide to tell the information to their boss, Momoka.

Chiaki tells the Sket Dan that there's a rumor the Onihime is causing trouble again. But it wasn't Himeko, since she's not the person she used to be. On her way to home she's confronted again by the trio. Unfortunately for her, she mistook her Cyclone for Switch's Reality Maji's cynical stick, making her vulnerable. Inui and her gals knock Himeko out by covering her mouth with tissues laced with anesthesia.

When she awakens, she met their gang, Momoka, who claims to be the legendary Onihime. When Himeko's phone rings, Momoka picks it up and chat with Bossun. With Bossun concentration mode and Switch's intel skills, they find Himeko in the park moments later. After Switch unties her, Himeko easily defeats Momoka with sheer intimidation using her Cyclone to smash the ground. Momoka and her gang realize Himeko is the real Onihime and submit to Himeko. It turns out that Momoka had always been a big fan of the Onihime legend, and now she and her group have begun idol-worshiping Himeko, as they call Himeko with "Nee-san".[4]

Kindergarten Performance

When Tsubaki threatens to shut down Sket Dance and send Momoka away, the Sket Dan along with Himeko, Momoka's group, and others put up a play to wow the children. If they succeed, the Sket Dan and Momoka's group has the right to stay at school. Despite that Masaya destroys all of the Sket Dan props, Himeko and Momoka manage to create a heartfelt performance, a puppet show about a demon girl who wanted to create friends but end up hurting them.
[5]

Gachinko Vivage Battle

The Sket Dan enter the Gachinko Vivage tournament to win Moe's "3" lip app. They have to face off with the Student Council. She faces off against Michiru Shinba in a cooking battle in the first round but lost. Despite her cooking is good, Shinba's cooking wows the judges because his cooking was freshly cook. Her comrades still praise her cooking, causing her to cry a bit.
[6]

Kaimei Rock Festival

At first, she's the guitarist in Moe Yabasawa's band, Yabasawa Books. Due to all but one of the band's members becoming sick prior to the festival, the band never performed. Himeko with Bossun and Switch formed a new band called "The Sketchbook".[7]

You've Got Mail!

Himeko gets into the e-mail craze when Koma introduces her to a pen pal of her, Samurai. Koma lets Himeko use her account, Pudding. As Himeko chats with Samurai, she wants to meet up with her friend in person. After arranging a meeting at the park square, she bumps into Bossun. The two eventually get into a little argument and think that their friend is someone they knew. Unbeknownst to them, they have texting each other all this time without ever realizing. Himeko finds it hard to delete her messages.
[8]

School Trip Rhapsody

Himeko and her classmates are gearing up for a school field trip to Niigata. After the skip rope competition to determine which class gets which rooms, Himeko and Bossun end up taking Chūma's new drug. Both Bossun and Himeko switch bodies, and they will remain that way for the rest of trip until Chūma creates another drug. Throughout the trip, Bossun and Himeko struggle to adjust to their bodies, but the two end up in awkward situations such as dressing each other, bathing each other, and going to the bathroom together.

Later on, Himeko (in Bossun's body) confronts Saaya who asked Bossun how he felt about Himeko. After some contemplation to find an answer that won't hurt Saaya's feelings, Himeko (as Bossun) replies that Himeko is a friend. Later that night, Himeko and Bossun sleep together in Chūma's room. Himeko informs Bossun about Saaya, and she asks him what he felt about Saaya. Bossun replies that he only thinks of her as a friend. At the end of the trip, Chūma has Himeko and Bossun take the drug. Despite returning to normal, Himeko and Chūma ends up switching their bodies.
[9]

Birdman Arc

In their efforts to help Hidaka give Takeuchi one final farewell by showing that their dream can come true, Himeko finally realizes her true calling, being a teacher. Moreover, she aspires to be a teacher in Modern Japanese because she enjoys reading. [10]

Special Abilities

Superhuman Strength: Himeko is extraordinarily strong, having no difficulty wielding a field hockey stick like a baseball bat. Combined with her fighting skills, this makes her a deadly opponent which earned her the title "Onihime"

Killer Comebacks: She is known to have ‘killer’ comebacks when she talks to the Bossun and Switch, another evidence is when they have a request to accompany some Yabasawa and Seiji through group dates. Though, because of this she could not relax in the group dates and even made comebacks from what she said on her own.

Weapons

Valkyrie: Himeko's original field hockey stick, made by the BLAST company. Arisa's was exactly the same type. It broke when she fought the men who had targeted Chiaki.

Cyclone: The field hockey stick Himeko used through Chapter 56, also made by BLAST. It was bought at Jumpo as a replacement for Valkyrie. It broke during a Sket Dan rescue mission, where she fought a man who had been extorting people.[11]

Flagrance: Himeko's current field hockey stick, also made by BLAST. She picked it by accident when she grabbed the nearest stick to stop a thief from escaping Jumpo. As thanks, the manager let her have it free of charge. Himeko originally believed the stick to be called "Fragrance" (フレグランス) and intended to name it "Kunpūmaru" (薫風丸). According to Switch, the word "flagrance" means "atrocity" or "notoriety."

Relationships

Bossun: Her relationship with Bossun is complicated - they aren't lovers, but undeniably more than friends. She feels gratitude and respect toward him and wants to be useful to him, but it is also strongly implied that she has romantic feelings for him. However, she is either unaware of them herself or is purposefully pretending they don't exist. When Switch makes a mind reading device, they all agree to mention who they like. Himeko gets very nervous and denies she likes anybody in her head but keeps thinking about Bossun, which the machine reads her mind and she is thinking about "red horned hairy caterpillar". During the school trip, she is concerned how Bossun felt about her. She seems nervous of what happens when Saaya fully confesses with Bossun. In another scene, she gets nervous and thinking about Bossun when she is out buying chocolate, though she did add "...and Switch!" seeming shy and denying the fact she likes him.[12] After Bossun saves her from the kidnapper, Himeko is like about to confess, if just Switch didn't come. On other hand, as noted by Switch, Himeko and Bossun are unseparated tsukkomi and bokke partner.[13]

Switch: She and Switch are close friends, but she is willing to make jokes about him. It is not known how much they know of each other's past, but they both know that Bossun saved them. And they both a strong bond with him as a result. She and Switch are often teasing Bossun like when Bossun shrunken to small.

Kiri Kato: She and Kiri have many things in common, and sees her past self in Kiri and tries to help him make friends. She respects his fighting skill. Kiri himself 'respects' Himeko due to Himeko's (as Onihime) help in the past.

Jin Kakiuchi: Jin falls in love with Himeko in the first sight. After he 'investigates' about Himeko and Bossun's relationship, he realized that he won't be able to interfere between them, but he stated that he won't give up on Himeko.

Trivia

Shinohara states that he started out deciding on the nicknames "Himeko" and "Onihime" and then created her full name using reverse association.

In her room, it's shows that she has full collection of shoujo manga series at Himeko's desk.[14][15]

The necklace she wears, was given by Bossun. But actually his purpose of gave it was so Himeko wore it on her arm like a pro-wrestling player.

She mentions she will marries a husband who lets her have a lot of cats.[16]

Quotes

To herself, about Bossun: "My hero was a TV character. With that ridiculous looking... red, horned cap on his head... dripping with sweat, he appeared before me. Even though I was a demon, that hero... came to rescue me."[17]